Clif. Whom should he follow, but his natural king?
War. True, Clifford; and that's Richard, duke of
York.

· K. Hen. And shall I stand, and thou sit in my
throne?

York. It must and shall be so. Content thyself. War. Be duke of Lancaster, let him be king. West. He is both king and duke of Lancaster: And that the lord of Westmoreland shall maintain. War. And Warwick shall disprove it. You forget, That we are those, which chas'd you from the field, And slew your fathers, and with colours spread March'd through the city to the palace gates.

North. Yes, Warwick, I remember it to my grief; And, by his soul, thou and thy house shall rue it.

West. Plantagenet, of thee, and these thy sons, Thy kinsmen, and thy friends, I'll have more lives, Than drops of blood were in my father's veins.

Clif. Urge it no more; lest that, instead of words, I send thee, Warwick, such a messenger,

As shall revenge his death, before I stir.

' War. Poor Clifford! how I scorn his worthless threats!

York. Will you, we show our title to the crown? 'If not, our swords shall plead it in the field.

K. Hen. What title hast thou, traitor, to the crown? Thy father was, as thou art, duke of York; Thy grandfather, Roger Mortimer, earl of March: I am the son of Henry the Fifth,

Who made the Dauphin and the French to stoop, And seiz'd upon their towns and provinces.

6 Another mistake of the author of the old play. York's father was earl of Cambridge, and was beheaded in the lifetime of his elder brother, Edward duke of York.

7 The military reputation of King Henry V. is the sole support of his son. The name of King Henry the Fifth dispersed the followers of Cade.

War. Talk not of France, sith thou hast lost it all. K. Hen. The lord protector lost it, and not I; When I was crown'd, I was but nine months old. Rich. You are old enough now, and yet, methinks you lose:

Father, tear the crown from the usurper's head.

Edw. Sweet father, do so; set it on your head. Mont. Good brother [To YORK], as thou lov'st and honour'st arms,

Let's fight it out, and not stand cavilling thus. Rich. Sound drums and trumpets, and the king will fly.

York. Sons, peace!

K. Hen. Peace thou! and give King Henry leave to speak.

War. Plantagenet shall speak first:-hear him, lords;

And be you silent and attentive too,

For he, that interrupts him, shall not live.

6

K. Hen. Think'st thou, that I will leave my kingly throne,

Wherein my grandsire, and my father, sat?

No: first shall war unpeople this my realm;

Ay, and their colours-often borne in France;

And now in England, to our heart's great sorrow,— Shall be my windingsheet 9.-Why faint you, lords? My title's good, and better far than his.

War. But prove it, Henry, and thou shalt be king. K. Hen. Henry the Fourth by conquest got the

crown.

York. 'Twas by rebellion against his king.

K. Hen. I know not what to say; my title's weak. Tell me, may not a king adopt an heir?

8 Since. A contraction of sithence.

9 Perhaps Gray had this passage in mind when he wrote:'Weave the warp, and weave the woof,

The windingsheet of Edward's race.'

York. What then?

'K. Hen. An if he may, then am I lawful king: For Richard, in the view of many lords, Resign'd the crown to Henry the Fourth; Whose heir my father was, and I am his.

York. He rose against him, being his sovereign, And made him to resign his crown perforce.

War. Suppose, my lords, he did it unconstrain'd, Think you, 'twere prejudicial to his crown 10?

Exe. No; for he could not so resign his crown, But that the next heir should succeed and reign. K. Hen. Art thou against us, duke of Exeter? Exe. His is the right, and therefore pardon me. * York. Why whisper you, my lords, and answer not?

Exe. My conscience tells me he is lawful king. K. Hen. All will revolt from me, and turn to him. North. Plantagenet, for all the claim thou lay'st, Think not, that Henry shall be so depos'd.

• War. Depos'd he shall be, in despite of all. North. Thou art deceiv'd: 'tis not thy southern

power,

'Of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, nor of Kent,Which makes thee thus presumptuous and proud,Can set the duke up, in despite of me.

Clif. King Henry, be thy title right or wrong, Lord Clifford vows to fight in thy defence:

May that ground gape, and swallow me alive, Where I shall kneel to him that slew my father! 'K. Hen. O Clifford, how thy words revive my heart!

York. Henry of Lancaster, resign thy crown:What mutter you, or what conspire you, lords? War. Do right unto this princely duke of York;

10 i. e. detrimental to the general rights of hereditary royalty.

Or I will fill the house with armed men,

And, o'er the chair of state, where now he sits,
Write up his title with usurping blood.

[He stamps, and the Soldiers show themselves. 'K. Hen. My lord of Warwick, hear me but one word;

'Let me, for this my life time, reign as king.

York. Confirm the crown to me, and to mine heirs, And thou shalt reign in quiet while thou liv'st. K. Hen. I am content: Richard Plantagenet, Enjoy the kingdom after my decease.

Clif. What wrong is this unto the prince your son? War. What good is this to England, and himself? West. Base, fearful, and despairing Henry!

Clif. How hast thou injur'd both thyself and us? West. I cannot stay to hear these articles.

North. Nor I.

Clif. Come, cousin, let us tell the queen these news. *West. Farewell, faint-hearted and degenerate king,

* In whose cold blood no spark of honour bides. North. Be thou a prey unto the house of York, And die in bands for this unmanly deed!

Clif. In dreadful war may'st thou be overcome! Or live in peace, abandon'd, and despis'd!

[Exeunt NORTHUMBERLAND, Clifford, and WESTMORELAND.

* War. Turn this way, Henry, and regard them not. Exe. They seek revenge11, and therefore will not yield.

K. Hen. Ah, Exeter!

War.

Why should you sigh, my lord?

11They go away, not because they doubt the justice of this determination, but because they have been conquered, and seek to be revenged. They are not influenced by principle but passion.' JOHNSON.

K. Hen. Not for myself, Lord Warwick, but my

son,

Whom I unnaturally shall disinherit.

But, be it as it may :-I here entail

The crown to thee, and to thine heirs for ever; Conditionally, that here thou take an oath, To cease this civil war, and, whilst I live, To honour me as thy king and sovereign; * And neither 12 by treason, nor hostility, * To seek to put me down, and reign thyself. York. This oath I willingly take, and will perform. [Coming from the Throne. War. Long live King Henry!-Plantagenet embrace him.

'K. Hen. And long live thou, and these thy forward sons!

York. Now York and Lancaster are reconcil'd. Exe. Accurs'd be he, that seeks to make them foes! [Senet. The Lords come forward. 'York. Farewell, my gracious lord; I'll to my castle 13.

War. And I'll keep London, with my soldiers. Norf. And I to Norfolk, with my followers. Mont. And I unto the sea, from whence I came. [Exeunt YORK, and his Sons, WARWICK, NORFOLK, MONTAGUE, Soldiers, and Attendants.

* K. Hen. And I, with grief and sorrow, to the

court.

12 Malone asserts that neither, either, brother, and many similar words, were used by Shakspeare as monosyllables. Steevens doubts this, with seeming propriety, and observes that the versification of this and the preceding play has many lines as unmetrical and irregular as this.

13 Sandal Castle, near Wakefield, in Yorkshire.

VOL. VI.

BB